[OOC] Alternate Fallout: New Vegas, Points of Divergence

[chiru]

@chiru Assuming I'm accepted, want to work a little something in our backstory? Namely my char being part of the group of rangers that 'saved' yours from the raiders. Have minor knowledge of each other but enough so that once we meet at least Bern can say 'Hey, I remember you' and maybe have a plot hook.

@Wernher

Absolutely, that would be very interesting. Really liking your character, by the way.

[thegreenleafe]

John Williams

Name: John Williams
Age: 24
Looks: I’ll import a screenshot of my NV character later
Personality: John is as honest as possible in the Mojave. He’ll try to do the right thing, but sometimes the influence of caps can be can be too much. John will find himself lending a helping hand in dire situations, however in situations that have less impact John will shy away.
Faction Neutral (formally Caesar’s Legion)
____

S.P.E.C.I.A.L
Strength:6
Perception:8
Endurance:7
Charisma:6
Intelligence:5
Agility:7
Luck:6

Backstory:

It’s a story as old as the Stars and Bars. They see savages in need of a little “civilization” and so they shove it down their throat. For the price of innocence, land, and lives these savages become happy members of the Legion. John William was young when the Legion swooped in to save the Huachucan Tribe from the depths of ignorance. From that point forward they became subjects of Legion. However there is a price to being subjects of the Legion, first there are fiscal obligations that must be met and then there is the matter of providing soldiers.

The prewar town the tribe occupied once held a military base known as Fort Huachuca, while the tribesmen were no strangers to the ways of battler small arms maintenance was almost non-existent. When the Legion opened up the armory the base once held they found a multitude of guns that were almost more useful as good as scrap metal. The Legion put began to teach the tribe the skills needed to be contributing subjugates. Soon the young men and women of the tribe were being trained in the art of war, in the ways of an army.

Like most John Williams was required to join the Legion and by the time he was sixteen the Legion was a part of everyday life. The thought of service was almost a patriotic duty when the facts of subjugation and required service are ignored. So like all others John was out through the vigorous training and it was through this that John found himself to be a crack shot. John’s military service was not spectacular, he did not storm a gun tower and hold off half of an army. John was just a foot soldier, he saw the smoking remains of the world and added a little more smoke. It was not long into the enscripted service that Williams wanted out, not because of all of the senseless killing, but it finally hit him that his life was going to belong to the Legion day in day out. So on a dark moonless night John snuck into the wastes. It wasn’t soon later that John found work as a bounty hunter where he began to further refine his skills further.
Weapon choice:
.357 Revolver
Repeater Rifle
Combat Knife
Tomahawk
Perks:
Quick Draw
Gun Slinger
Light Step

'Tagged' Skills):
Guns
Survival
Sneak
Unarmed

'Weak' Skills :
Lockpick

Any other info not included in the above:
John Williams as a name was given to him not long after the occupation of Fort Huachuca .

This was based in part on my most recent New Vegas character, a little less Indian roots in this one, but I tried to keep the tribal backstory intact.

[ClocktowerEchos]

Here's my guy, leader of the Wise Iron tribals. I'll work on the Wise Iron tribe itself tomorrow.

Artificer King Actus

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Actus Algoran

^{Artificer King of the Wise Iron Tribe}

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Age:

48

Appearance

Old and learned, Actus Algoran has weathered many a rough seasons, aged brown hair starting to turn white and the light in once hazel eyes fading into an amber bronze. His stature is respectable but a hunch is visible from years of leaning over tables and workbenches. His king's regalia is a steel breastplate decorated with trinkets and pipes leading in and out as well as many a pockets and pouches contains writing utensils, note pads and spare parts.

Personality

Actus was never one for the arts of war but, embodying his tribe's tradition and culture, is a scholar of the old world arts of knowledge. A tenacious elder, Actus is known to be stubborn and blunt but is well respected for his technical knowledge and learned ways knowing how to read beyond simple english and able to memorize entire books and technical manuals; an undisputed brilliant mind capable of running both numbers and sonnets.

Fourth to the Algoran legacy, Actus is a pragmatic and wily old man able to out fox and out think his opponents which may be a cause for his increased power over tribal affairs believing more in hard work and logic over luck and fortune. Actus endorses slavery not out of cruelty or sadism, but out of pragmatism seeing slaves as cheap labor for menial tasks like digging and manual muscle, anything else thats not unskilled is left to the skilled hands of his people.

Faction

Wise Iron Tribe (Legion-Aligned)

S.P.E.C.I.A.L.

• Strength: 3
• Perception: 7
• Endurance: 9
• Charisma: 8
• Intelligence: 10
• Agility: 4
• Luck: 2

Backstory

Born of the royal blood of Algoran, Actus spent his early life surrounded by tutors and his elders who taught him how not only to read, but to think. His studies would range from how to survive on the land to how to decipher old world text to how to write the letters of the old languages. The first encounter that Algoran would have with the Legion is during his time as a child when his father ruled. A host of drilled and disciplined legionaries and wise, charismatic diplomats came as part of a regular meeting with the Artificer King as Actus's father, Pythagor, had allied the tribe with the Legion after being impressed with their society. Perhaps in a move to secure good future relations, one of the diplomats gave the young heir his own weapon, a .45 auto pistol to which Actus keeps to this day.

Actus would assume control in his late teens when his father was assassinated by an NCR ranger. The new Artificer King lead a hunt for 4 days and 4 nights and captured the ranger by outwitting the sniper before torturing him and making a show out of them back at the Wise Iron fortress for all to see, increasing Legion support both within the people and within himself.

His rule has been seen with increased support with the Legion, becoming a major supplier for them in terms of both military of administrative roles. Shipments of fabricated grenade rifles, explosives and blades are accompanied by artillery and fortification specialists whose work can often be seen either building walls or destroying them. Being one of the most educated tribes, man have also found work in the Legion as clerks and book keepers who help Caeser in keeping his realm afloat as well as constructing new buildings in his territory.

Artificer King Actus is married to the Craft Queen Matri and has four children: Lord Rashio the heir, Lady Cartesia the scholarly maiden, Lord Heorem the tribe champion and Lady Parab the youngest of them all.

Weapon of Choice

• .45 Auto Pistol
• Tomahawk (Used as Melee)
• Flare Gun

Perks

• Educated
• Jury Rigging
• Voracious Reader

Tagged Skills

• Sciece
• Repair
• Survival

[Letter Bee]

@Wernher, Accepted, although this version of the Legion is still somewhat less misogynistic than in Canon, just as a clarification.

[Letter Bee]

@thegreenleafe, Accepted.

@ClocktowerEchos, Accepted.

[Callyx]

I like the What-If ideas. I wish I had more serious connection to the internet instead of the flaky ways I have it now. I would love to play the NCR.

[APRoll201984]

I'll likely interact with other PCs but I'm also working on two NPCs for people to interact with as well. A pyromaniac for the legion and a Cowboy type for the NCR. Will try to have all three out before next week.

Inquisitor Lionadis, Firefly

Ranger Leon Grey, The Stranger

[Letter Bee]

@APRoll201984, thanks!

[Hippocamp]

On my way after work plus thabksgiving! Will write my char then. This looks great, liking it a lot!

[Letter Bee]

@Hippocamp, Thanks!

[Hopeless]

Rasmus Arvanitis

Name:
Rasmus Arvanitis
Age:
46
Personality:
Rasmus, being the figurehead of his tribe, shows the true meaning of what it is to be part of the Sons. He remains stoic, believing emotions cloud the mind from making rational decisions. He holds fast against adversity, often leading the charge of battle, believing a leader should never cower behind walls. His aims to bring his tribe to greatness, and to cement their name in the pages of history. He hopes to one day carve out part of the wasteland where his tribe can settle and prosper once more. He allows himself to be influenced from the outside world, hoping to garner inspiration, knowledge and much more. He allows himself to be open-minded but not to forget the bigger picture. Behind closed doors, Rasmus doubts himself. He feels as though he has betrayed his tribe into walking a darker path with him. Which he believes will take them away from their way of life. Because of this, he has become more detached, hoping to deprive his feelings for his tribes, in case something were to happen.

Faction:
The New Legion: Sons of Spártī (working title)
S.P.E.C.I.A.L:
Strength: 8
Perception: 5
Endurance: 6
Charisma: 7
Intelligence: 7
Agility: 7
Luck: 5

Backstory:

Rasmus Arvanitis was born in the tribe appropriately called Sons of Spártī, whom were replicated after the Greek city-state known as Sparta. It's upbringing was similar as to that of the Legion. The tribe was located in the state of Arizona, Legion territory. A man who called himself Lacedaemon had found several books about Sparta and it's way of life and had brought that history back to life into his tribe.

Lacedaemon, is also known as Rasmus' father. Lacedaemon trained his son separately from the other children, hoping to bring forth a great leader of his young son. Rasmus was pushed to his limits throughout his childhood, both psychically and mentally. Lacedaemon no longer saw a son, but a weapon he could forge. The boy often was beaten for making mistakes or for no reason at all. There was no mother. Rasmus lost his mother when he was but a baby and remains to have no memory of her, but is often told he has vast similarities of her. Rumors claim that his mother was from another tribe and after the birth of Rasmus, was murdered to cover Rasmus' illegitimacy.

Many years later, the Legion was growing rapidly, subjugating neighboring tribes. The Sons' settlement was off the Colorado river and was in the way of what is now known as 'Fortification Hill'. The Legion, knowing the simplest way was through the Sons. A centuriae was sent to annihilate the Sons' completely. The Sons held fast against the Legion troops, using their environment to tunnel them in and kill them one at a time. Days after, Lacedaemon received a message from one of the Legion troops who had failed prior, whom shortly died before Lacedaemon from the injuries that he was given for failure. The message was clear, the Sons would surrender and pledge themselves before Caesar or be shown the true might of the Legion. Lacedaemon chose the latter, believing that only someone of the tribe should have control of the Sons'. Both the tribe and the Legion came at full force. The tribe consisted of a few hundred, while the Legion came in the thousands. During the battle, Lacedaemon was slain, and so were many of the Spártī. Caesar, being as ever merciful as he was ruthless, gave the remaining Sons' a refined offer: In recognition of their courage and skill in battle, the Sons of Spártī would be spared. Rising to the occasion, Rasmus did what his father could not, guarantee the survival of the Sons. Rasmus and his tribe pledged themselves before Caesar and given themselves to his Legion. Serving the Legion, the Sons of Spártī and Rasmus had proven themselves to be capable warriors and had ascended to be an elite force that rivaled the NCR's Rangers. After assimilating with the Legion, the Sons had acquired knowledge of firearms and were quite capable in their use, but they mainly fore-goed the usage of firearms in preference of their traditional melee combat.

The Sons and Rasmus remain of the Hill with Caesar and his legion. They await to act out under his will, in hopes to due battle with the NCR and to go toe-to-toe with their unproclaimed rivals, The Rangers.

Weapon choice:

• Xiphos, a crudely constructed sword modeled after the ancient Spartans.
• 9mm pistol

Perks:

• Stonewall!
• Piercing Strike
• Terrifying Presence

'Tagged' Skills:

• Melee
• Speech
• Survival

'Weak' Skills:

• Guns

I'll make a sub-faction sheet at a later date. I had time to whip this up, so I figured I would :D

[Letter Bee]

@Hopeless, Accepted; post on Characters Tab.

[Letter Bee]

@thegreenleafe, your character isn't on the Characters tab yet?

[Wernher]

Felt like making another char, don't know which between her and Bern would be the main though...

Name: Carmen Durant

Age: 24

Looks:
(And now, for something completely different.) There is a reason why the elders used to call Carmen 'Miss Horrigan', though she never really did get the reference. While at first glance the brown skinned woman is a 6ft4 monster of a woman capable of snapping the neck of a man between her biceps, those who know her would shrivel with fear at the thought of Carmen actually focusing entirely on her muscle mass as indeed, the sole thing that keeps her distinctively female it seems is her habit of not counting calories in the slightest, her love for meat allowing her to maintain the curves giving her that bit of femininity she has. Otherwise, while she can cleanup rather nicely due to her Enclave education, it doesn't mean she likes to do so and is often seen with unkept hairs and nails more akin to claws than anything.

Personality:
There is more to this woman than a one dimensional knuckle head as while she indeed is one to take what she wants and seek a fight when she can, it is justified to her from a social Darwinist stand point. She is visibly much better equipped than others around her to win by a fight so why should she seek to do things any other way, giving an advantage to those against her? Because that's how it is, competition, the struggle of life and the survival of the fittest. But still, no man or woman is an island and she realizes that she must sometimes sleep, even the walking apocalypse needs to rest once in a while! And thus comes her liking of honor and trust, the extreme value she places on both of these as she highly suspects that it is as likely that she'll die biting more than she could chew or alternatively, betrayed, killed in her sleep or by poison. Thus she has only one word and considers this the most worthy insurance possible as if she lives by it, maybe others will have the decency to do the same.

Faction: Group Epsilon (Neutral)

S.P.E.C.I.A.L
Strength: 10
Perception: 9
Endurance: 10
Charisma: 5
Intelligence: 6
Agility: 3
Luck: 2

Backstory:
In the history books of the NCR, the defeat of the enclave was sudden, brutal and total. Wiped out in a day almost, the Californians then sweeping the remnants away. The truth is far from this however. Already some are aware of the long exodus eastward that took place but even this is romantic. Some were quite simply left behind, without orders or transportation. A lot decided to go undercover but the Epsilon Forward Outpost found the idea to try and hide among a bunch of impure dirt farmers while they sat on a trove of prewar tech to be something to scoff at. All of this however didn't help their crippling lack of manpower however and it was certain that they would be crushed under the sheer size of the NCR, sooner or later.

And so, they marched Eastward. Not to reach the coast like the others however, no, just to find somewhere secluded, using the old maps to reach a chain of bunkers to leach from. It wasn't long however until the matter of the natives became an issue. Some advocated genocide as was the enclave habit but there was realization that what they lacked in automation, production facilities and the likes, could be mitigated by using THEM as automatons. Slave labor.

This lasted almost 40 years during which these soldiers had children and slowly grew complacent. Their technologies were godlike to the savages who toiled the land and this is what saw the birth of Carmen. A fighter born of a long line of soldiers. It was how she was raised, in the savage lands of the tribes in a complete Enclave fashion. She was better than these subhumans and slavery was showing them mercy, allowing them the protection and carefree life of subjugation. All of that combat training and deathclaw hunting experience however couldn't have prepared her for what was to come.

The Epsilon Outpost had always looked toward the West, at the progress the NCR made. When the legion came, the surviving elders rolled their eyes and merely entered their power armor, ready to crush them mercilessly in a pitched battle. But it was they who were overwhelmed by numbers in a battle that could have been easily avoidable if they had only not so grossly underestimated their enemy. At home the slaves saw Caesar as a liberator and they rebelled against their overlords. Those that could fled, by foot or by vertibirds, away from the Legion. When the dust settled, only a few were left. Even if they should settle again, their genepool was so small they'd have died out but only more slowly. Some left to the east, hoping to reach the coast within their life time. Others decided to try and go underground in the NCR who was entering the Mojave.

Carmen and a fistful of others however couldn't stomach that. They entered banditry, becoming raider kings in power armor for a short while. But now the chickens are coming home to roost. The BoS is sending expeditions after them to capture their tech, the NCR is well established in the Mojave so even rangers are showing up to pick them off one by one. The possible replacement to them would be the Legion of course, but as a woman and a 'civilized person', she'd rather die than try and somehow join them. She and her group desperately try to find a way to keep on surviving, somehow.

Weapon choice:
-Power Fist
-Plasma Caster

Perks (Add only three):
+Sneering Imperialist
+Unstoppable Force
+Slayer

'Tagged' Skills
+Unarmed
+Energy Weapons
+Repair
+Science

'Weak' Skills
-Sneak

Any other info not included in the above:
So yeah, Group Epsilon. I'm thinking of having them become power armored muscle for either the Cabal or Mister House, with a preference for the later. Basically a group in desperate need of a powerful patron who could provide them for a way out to survive as Enclave remnants aren't too popular right now.

ALSO: Call out for some legion peeps to maybe have beef with her and her group, an ex-slave maybe? That or a tribe that suffered at their hands, to get some fun hate and rivalry going.

[Letter Bee]

@Wernher, I like Carmen. Whoever you choose between her and Bern, I'll accept.

[Letter Bee]

Sample CS/My GMPC:

Name: Paradise 'Par' Rapids

Age: 19

Looks:


Personality: Par looks like someone motivated to make a quick buck, and most of the time, that much is true. He likes bottlecaps/water whatever you can pay him, and is often out for the most profitable trade deals. He also likes sex (dude or gal, it doesn't really matter), and isn't above using it to gain an advantage. But, underneath it all, there is a dedicated, somewhat idealistic person who genuinely believes in the power of free and fair - emphasis on fair - trade and genuinely honest living, a power that, he believes, can rebuild civilization in a better form.

Faction
S.P.E.C.I.A.L= (45 Points spread wisely. Cannot go over 10 on any one stat)
Strength: 4
Perception: 5
Endurance: 4
Charisma: 9
Intelligence: 10
Agility: 7
Luck: 6 (+1 from Intense Training, so 7)

Backstory: Born in NCR Territory to two members of the Crimson Caravan, Arthur and Miranda Rapids, Par was taught how to pursue the family business from an early age. Intelligent, precocious, and good with technology, Par was also handsome and, although not strong, was fast and decently lucky, allowing him to charm many people into giving him a fair and favorable deal. Nevertheless, he remained under the shadow of his parents until he turned sixteen, when he, along with some bodyguards, were allowed to strike out on their own, towards the Mojave and New Vegas. There, Par was confident he'd make his fortune and find adventure.

The Mojave would prove a harsh teacher, however, as Par, after a string of successful deals, would then be tricked into gambling away most of his money in New Vegas itself, leaving him without his wares, without anything to pay his bodyguards, and barely avoiding slavery or death. He did keep the clothes on his back, a set of mechanical tools, some food and a stimpack, and more importantly, his skills with technology were still in his head. And finally, he avoided getting fired, despite enduring intolerable public humiliation from the higher-ups in the Crimson Caravan's local HQ. He still had enough to plan for a comeback, and he was going to do it the honest way...at least at first.

First, going to the lower city, he found a member of the Kings and paid him to act as a bodyguard for a stimpack. Then, noticing that the Kings' gangster had an ill-maintained pistol, he offered to repair it as an alternate payment instead of the stimpack. The gangster agreed, but threatened to knife Par if he did anything, and when Par actually followed through on the bargain, making the pistol work good as new, the gangster was amazed enough to offer to guard Par for all of his time in the lower city. After that, the boy went to the Old Mormon Fort and the Followers of the Apocalypse, where, after some reluctance from the latter, he was allowed to do more work for them, as well as pursue their archives for more knowledge.

When the chance came to get back in the Crimson Caravan's good graces a year later, Par took it with open arms. This chance was rescuing a caravan stranded outside an old Vault, Vault 91, whose experiment was that its inhabitants each had some phobia or another, some of which were inherited. Over time, when Vault 91 opened, its people were half-ready to get outside and out of the tight and cramped spaces of the complex, while the other half were afraid of the things outside. Both sides were in civil war with each other, and had taken the Crimson Caravan's convoy prisoner just for passing through. And so, Par saw his chance.

Successfully talking both sides in the civil war through their differences, the boy, just a few weeks shy of 18, managed to not only secure the release of the caravaneers, but also Vault 91 and any settlements span off from it as a trading partner, winning immense profit from the Crimson Caravan Company, and regaining their trust. He also got, as his greatest gift from Vault 91, a solar-electric powered car. Yes, a bonafide car that can carry a small amount of goods, had a security system that prevented others from using it, and, after some jury-rigging, even a couple of sentry guns each to its hood and rear to fire at any intruders, making it a Technical.

And so, a year or two on after that, life was good...

Weapon choice: Sniper Rifle, Carbine, Pistol, Knife.

Perks (Add only three):

-Confirmed Bachelor
-Lady Killer
-Intense Training

'Tagged' Skills (the skills you are strongest in; add only three unless you take a 'Weak' Skill, see below):

-Speech
-Science
-Repair
-Guns

All other skills are assumed to be average unless you want to take a 'Weak Skill'.

'Weak' Skills (the skills you are weakest in, add only if you want more 'Tagged' Skills):

-Unarmed

Any other info not included in the above:

[Letter Bee]

IC will be soon.

[Wernher]

Double Post

[Wernher]

Alright, now lets see...

...hire or trick mercenaries, gangs that would otherwise be the enemy of the NCR, or even some of Mr. House's more ambitious goons to attack Nipton and get themselves killed.

Oh! OHHH! Carmen volunteers for that! Want to set up a meeting @chiru?

[chiru]

Oh! OHHH! Carmen volunteers for that! Want to set up a meeting @chiru?

@Wernher

Definitely! Perhaps my character could offer Group Epsilon assistance surviving in exchange for Carmen going to Nipton, while assuming she'll just get herself killed there.